Snapshots
by shmulia
Summary: "Snapshot: a quick view or a small amount of information that tells you a little about what someone or something is like" A series of one-shots following Marinette and Adrien at University, giving brief glimpses into their lives and relationship.
1. the polka dot underwear debacle

A/N: This is chapter 28 in _Miraculous Moments_ , but as it started a whole new au I figured it deserved a place in the story! :)

* * *

"Damn it Plagg, get back here! Plagg! _Give me back my underwear!"_

Nino sipped a steaming mug of coffee as his roommate sped out of the door, chasing the kitten which had been nothing but trouble since Adrien had brought him to the dorm a few weeks ago. Adrien had insisted that the stray just needed some love, but had since learned that the small black cat was… well, a bit of a kleptomaniac. Particularly when it came to Adrien's underwear.

The people in the dorm had lost count of the times Adrien had fled after the tiny kitten, a hilarious for sight everyone who got to see the model-turned-student speeding after a black streak with whichever pair of boxers had come out of the latest wash in its mouth. Usually Plagg didn't get that far; someone always managed to scoop him up before he escaped the dorm, or Adrien grabbed his underwear before the cat could make a bid for freedom.

Of course, Adrien was always particularly unlucky on Friday the Thirteenth. And, naturally, for the first time since Adrien had moved into the dorm, someone had wedged the door to the staircase open.

The whole hall heard Adrien groan when he saw Plagg shoot out of the hall and – of course, of _course_ the damned cat decided to run upstairs. The more people who saw his underwear the better, right?

Adrien sprinted after the kitten, taking the stairs two at a time as he rushed to keep the blur he called Plagg in his sight. Plagg stopped a couple of levels up, running through an open door into a hallway and halting outside one of the doors to a bedroom. The kitten began to mew pitifully, and Adrien took a moment to catch his breath; Plagg didn't seem to be going anywhere else in a hurry.

Adrien was bent over, his hands grasping his knees as breathed heavily, when he heard the door the kitten was waiting by open.

"Oh, hey Chat Noir!" a voice Adrien recognised said, causing him to freeze. His whole body was rigid with tension as he straightened up to see the person calling him a name which nobody should know. Trying to hold back the shock on his face, Adrien looked up to see Marinette bending down in her doorway, picking Plagg up and holding him to her chest. Adrien's mouth dropped open when the kitten, known to scratch anyone who dared to try and hold him, purred contentedly in Marinette's arms, causing the boxers to fall over her forearm when Plagg's mouth opened.

"What have you got here, mon minou? Is that… Chat Noir, are you stealing _underwear?"_

Adrien wondered if he should just walk away. Marinette hadn't noticed him yet, and when she picked up the pair of boxers draped over her to examine them, Adrien realised that he was never quite going to live down the ladybug themed boxers if she saw that they were his. Besides, Plagg was clearly in good hands; Adrien could just go back to his room, pretend he lost the cat, and could live happily ever after with his underwear drawer undisturbed.

It was a simple dream, but one which was short-lived. Plagg, apparently not content with petty theft from his owner's clothes pile, began to meow in Adrien's direction; apparently the kitten lived to embarrass Adrien as much as possible.

Marinette turned her head to follow the kitten's noise, and her face lit up when she saw Adrien. He raised a hand to wave at her, beginning to walk towards Marinette as he did so. Marinette went to wave in return, but realised that she held a kitten in one hand and a pair of boxers in the other. Her eyes flicked between the boxers and Adrien as realisation began to dawn on her face, making the connection between the flustered boy and the underwear between her fingers. Adrien's face was becoming as red as the crimson boxers Marinette held, and she had to bite back a giggle as he closed the distance between them.

"Hi, Marinette," Adrien said, pointing at the kitten who was balancing on her arm. "You have my cat."

Marinette raised an eyebrow as her eyes looked down at the material in her hand.

" _Just_ your cat?" she asked, holding up the boxers with a barely concealed smirk. Adrien's face reddened further, and with a laugh Marinette held out the underwear to him.

"You know, I'm not sure I want to ask," Marinette said, letting go of the boxers when Adrien grabbed them, her hand moving to hold the kitten more securely as Adrien stuffed the offending item of clothing in the pocket of his jeans.

"The cat likes to steal my underwear. He got a bit further with it than usual today," Adrien explained, frowning at the ebony kitten; Plagg seemed far too happy with his current situation, a constant purr coming from him as as Marinette gently stroked his back.

"Ah. Well, I'm glad you got your boxers back," Marinette grinned. "I didn't realise Chat Noir here was a thief. Although I didn't know he had an owner either, so I guess I'm not a great judge of character."

Adrien chuckled, one hand moving to his hip as the other slid into his free pocket. He turned so he was leaning against the wall by Marinette's door as she rotated so her back was against the doorframe, the kitten still resting in her arms.

"Well, maybe not with cats," Adrien nodded. "This one is cute, but a bit of a handful."

"Sounds like someone I used to know," Marinette murmured, so quietly that Adrien wasn't sure he'd heard correctly.

"Huh?"

Marinette blinked, eyes wide as her smile dropped for a split second. It came back at full force, and she looked earnestly at Adrien, clearly eager to deflect the conversation back to the cat.

"So when did you get him?" she asked, gesturing towards Plagg with her chin. "I thought pets weren't allowed in the dorms, and I'm surprised you kept it a secret." There was a touch of hurt in Marinette's voice, and Adrien pushed himself away from the wall so that he could rest a hand on her shoulder.

"I was going to tell you soon, but I wanted to get Plagg settled in first – the less people who knew, the better. If I get found out, I didn't want to drag you down with me." Adrien paused, frowning as he looked down at the tiny ball of fluff which seemed to be dozing off. "Wait, how do you even know Plagg? He's supposed to stay in my dorm, apart from when I let him out…"

"I've seen him around the halls," Marinette replied. "I figured he was just a stray who managed to get in. Chat Noir pops by now and again, but never stays for long. I guess he sneaks out of your dorm; he's a clever little thing." Marinette began to scratch the kitten under his chin, eliciting a purr of contentment. "You come and go as you please, don't you mon minou?"

Marinette's name for the kitten was like a punch to the gut, and Adrien's hand dropped from her shoulder. He knew it was a coincidence, knew that Marinette probably gave the cat an obvious name for simplicity's sake. But it was still nice to think that maybe, just maybe, there was a little part of her which had named the black cat after the hero of Paris, who had saved Marinette on a few occasions.

"Well, Plagg's a bit of a free spirit," Adrien laughed, trying to brush away thoughts which could never be confirmed from his mind. He bent down so he was level with Plagg, and held out a finger so he could rub behind the kitten's ear. "I'm not surprised you've seen him around, even if he's _supposed_ to be inside. Apparently he's not fond of rules, even when they're meant to keep him safe. Right, Plagg?"

The kitten purred again, although it was quieter this time. Plagg was tired, but still clearly pleased with all the affection he was receiving from the pair. Adrien rolled his eyes; Plagg apparently took after his namesake in that way.

"Plagg? That's… an unusual name," Marinette said, looking up at Adrien with a smile. Adrien heard the confusion in her voice, and gave her a wry grin in response as he straightened himself up.

"It has sentimental value," he replied. It wasn't _exactly_ a lie, but he couldn't tell Marinette he'd named a cat after his lazy little kwami, who was still by his side despite not having transformed in years; it would sound crazy to say that he'd named the kitten so that he could talk to the original Plagg without raising any questions. Okay, his flatmates wondered why he spoke to the cat so much, but they just rolled with it. Adrien decided to change the topic. "At least it's original, unlike naming a black cat 'Chat Noir'."

Adrien was surprised to see a light blush form on Marinette's face. She looked down at the kitten, and a small smile quirked her lips upwards before she met Adrien's gaze again.

"It has sentimental value," she grinned, and Adrien swore his heart stopped beating for a moment.

Had… had Marinette named a cat after _him?_

Adrien couldn't ask, of course; there was a good chance he'd implode from shock and joy if Marinette said yes. But even then, just the thought was enough to make him smile.

"Well, I guess you'll be wanting Plagg back," Marinette said after a moment, and Adrien nodded automatically, still in shock from the mini-revelation.

"Yeah," he replied. "Gotta feed him soon. He's grouchy when he doesn't eat, and Nino's arms are already pretty scratched."

"Well, we wouldn't want Nino to have any more scratches," Marinette nodded, holding out the now slumbering feline to Adrien. Carefully, so as not to disturb Plagg, Adrien curled his arms around the kitten. He smiled as he looked down at Plagg; how could something so adorable cause so much trouble?

"Thanks, Marinette," Adrien said, before meeting her gaze. He bit his lip, opening his mouth to speak before Marinette held up a hand to cut him off.

"Don't worry – your secret is safe with me," she told him. Adrien sighed with relief, a half smile tugging on his lips.

"Thank you."

"It's no problem. Just let me come and play with him now and again, okay?" Marinette winked, and for a moment Adrien was stunned at how far they'd come; four years ago Marinette would _never_ have winked at him, and he was glad that they had moved forward from their shy encounters.

"Deal," Adrien agreed, taking a step away from the wall and angling his body to partially face the hall entrance whilst still looking at Marinette. "I'll message you about coming over - Nino and Alya want to go out for drinks soon as a group, you could come over beforehand and feed Plagg. You know. If – if you want." Adrien silently cursed himself for tripping over his words, but there was something about Marinette which left him tongue tied.

Marinette nodded, folding her arms and leaning her hip against the doorframe.

"Sounds good. I'll see you soon, then." Marinette smiled warmly, and Adrien began to move towards the hallway door.

"Hey, Adrien?"

He turned when Marinette called his name, one eyebrow raised questioningly whilst he tried not to disturb Plagg with too much movement.

"I love the Ladybug polka dot underwear," Marinette winked. "But I prefer a pawprint pattern, myself."

She shut the door in front of her, leaving Adrien standing in the hallway of her dorm with a cat in his arms, his underwear in his pocket, and a heartrate which had skyrocketed.


	2. the disappearance of Chat Noir

"D'ya ever wonder what happened to Chat Noir?" Nino asked, slinging his arm over Alya's shoulders as he took a swig from the can in his hand. His words were slurred, barely loud enough to be heard over the deep bass pounding from the speakers which vibrated through the floor of Kim's flat.

"Nino, what the hell?" Alya laughed, poking him in the ribs. "Random, much?"

"Well, the guy just completely fell off the grid, right? One day he was doing his thing, saving Paris, and the next – nothing. Ladybug was on her own. C'mon, I can't be the only one who wants to know what happened to the guy!" Nino insisted, meeting the eyes of each member of their tiny circle which had gathered at the end of the drinks table.

Adrien gripped the cup in his hand a fraction tighter, the sharp crunch of plastic only heard by him as it crinkled in his palm. His eyes snapped downwards, and he immediately loosened his grip; the white cup remained somewhat bent as Adrien tried to roll it back into shape with one hand, desperate not to draw attention to the instinctive action.

"Yeah, but he did his job – the guy saved Paris, and then I guess he didn't need to be Chat Noir anymore. Not much of a mystery, babe," Alya said with a grin, sipping from her own cup which was filled to the brim with a concoction of her own creation; Adrien wasn't sure what exactly was in it, but he knew that it was strong.

Adrien didn't really drink, but it was moments like this when he wished that he did. A lifetime of sips of champagne and wine meant that he had a fairly high alcohol tolerance for those particular drinks. Spirits, however, had turned out to be a whole different story, and after his first house party since University had started – well, nobody had realised quite how _strong_ Marinette was, but despite the ease with which tipsy Marinette had flung Adrien over her shoulder, he didn't ever want her to carry him home again.

So Adrien was still on his third drink of the night during Nino and Alya's conversation, and the temptation to neck the remainder of his – admittedly still pretty full – drink grew stronger as his friends discussed his impromptu disappearance.

He was just glad they'd never connected the dots between him and Chat Noir leaving around the same time; luckily, Chat Noir hadn't needed to make an appearance for a month before Adrien left Paris for a year, just enough time to create a degree of separation between the two.

"But it _is_ a mystery! I mean, Ladybug is still around! She does all those events, keeps an eye on Paris, y'know? But where's her partner?" Nino demanded, spilling amber droplets of beer on Alya's arm as he leant towards Adrien and Marinette. " _Nowhere_." His voice had dropped to a conspiratorial whisper as Alya shot him a glare, brushing the liquid off of her arm and wiping her hand on Nino's shirt in vengeance.

"Nino, be careful! Marinette made me this shirt, don't get booze all over it!" Alya exclaimed, causing Nino to press a sloppy kiss on her temple as she gestured to the plum-coloured silk of her spaghetti-strap top.

"Sorry, babe. But come on, what do you think happened to him?" Nino continued, determined to solve the mystery of Chat Noir's disappearance using nothing but beer and the logic of his friends.

"I guess he just went back to his civilian identity," Marinette said quietly, barely loud enough to hear over the music. She shrugged as her friends' heads snapped to face her. "He had a life outside of Chat Noir. It's not fair of us to hold him accountable for leaving when his job was done."

There was a twinge of sadness in Marinette's voice which Adrien couldn't quite place; it went over Nino's head, but Alya's small frown told Adrien that she had heard it, too.

"Yeah, but Mari, he just upped and left. Even Ladybug doesn't know, and he was meant to love her. Unless - do you think she actually knew where he went?" Nino gasped, eyes wide with the potential revelation. His two seconds of conspiracy theory genius were thwarted when Alya shook her head.

"Not a chance. She told me herself, Ladybug had – _has –_ no clue where Chat Noir went. He left without a word."

"Wait, when did Ladybug tell you that?" Nino spluttered, head snapping to look at Alya. She shrugged, taking a sip from her drink before answering.

"A few weeks after Chat Noir stopped turning up. I was trying to interview her for the Ladyblog and asked where he was. She requested I keep it off the record, but said she had no idea. 'Course, I wasn't gonna betray Ladybug's _trust!"_ Alya said, raising a finger and nodding determinedly.

Adrien met Nino's eyes, and the pair bit back laughter at Alya's insistence of her trustworthiness; her words had started to stumble – when alcohol finally hit Alya, it hit all at once, and Adrien had a feeling that her drink had finally gotten the better of her.

"Damn," Nino mumbled. "I really thought that Ladybug might know… it kinda sucks he isn't around anymore; they were a good team."

"They were," Marinette agreed, swirling the contents of her bottle before taking a quick swig. "But now he's gone. End of partnership, end of story."

Adrien, Alya and Nino all blinked at Marinette's brusque tone, surprised by the words which spilled out like the many drinks which had spilled from glasses throughout the night. Marinette's eyes widened as she seemed to hear what she'd said, as if the words had bypassed her thoughts completely.

"Wow," she said, forcing a laugh which nobody believed. "Guess this stuff went to my head! I'm just – I'm just gonna go outside. Get some fresh air." Marinette gave her friends a quick wave before darting away, weaving through the people scattered throughout Kim's accommodation.

It didn't take long for her to make her exit; Kim's flat was on the ground floor of the student accommodation, and Adrien could just make out Marinette's figure through the window as she took a seat on the grass outside.

"Well, that was weird," Nino observed, sounding a lot more sober. He looked down at Alya, whose gaze had followed Marinette outside.

"She doesn't like talking about Chat Noir," Alya stated before downing the rest of her drink, the colour of her cheeks darkening with every swallow.

Adrien 's head snapped back round to look at Alya, a look of surprise on his face.

"Why?" he asked, the single word sharper than anticipated. Alya raised an eyebrow at Adrien before shrugging nonchalantly, placing her now empty cup on the table beside them.

"I think… I think maybe she liked him a bit. Like, _liked_ him," Alya said, folding her arms as she leant into Nino, who's arm tightened around her. Adrien's eyebrows shot up, and he took a gulp of his drink to cover the look of pure surprise which he hadn't been able to keep off of his face. "He saved her a few times, it had an impact on her. I'm not saying she was in love or anything, but I think him leaving… well, it sucked for her."

After a pause in which the only sounds were the buzz of conversation from the people surrounding them and the slower tempo of a new song coming from the speakers, Nino shook his head rapidly at Alya's suggestion. "Nahhh," he laughed. "She didn't have a thing for Chat Noir, Mari was too busy crushing on- _oof!_ Damn Alya, that _hurt!"_

Nino wheezed as he doubled over, releasing Alya from under his arm so that he could clutch his stomach. Alya gave Nino a hard stare as his eyes watered from the pain of her elbow jamming into his stomach.

"Sorry babe," Alya said unconvincingly."I tripped."

"Over _what?"_

"… The past?"

" _Babe."_

Adrien's eyes flicked between the couple, confusion lining his face as Alya slipped her arms around Nino's waist to pull him into an apologetic hug. After a moment, Adrien realised the conversation had ended as the two weren't moving out of their embrace, and he made an awkward attempt at an excuse to leave.

"I'm just – uh – Marinette is outside, so, I'm going to, ah… bye!"

Alya and Nino didn't seem to notice Adrien as he made his exit, and he was glad to leave them be as hands started to wander and their faces moved closer when Nino straightened up. Shooting a glance over his shoulder, Adrien tried not to laugh at an incredibly awkward student trying to grab the lemonade on the table, located just behind the suddenly handsy couple. It didn't take him long to find Marinette; she hadn't moved from the spot she'd found only a few moments earlier.

Marinette was sitting on the grass, watching the fire someone had carefully built in the garden. Adrien had been surprised that the knoll by the student flats had a fire pit, but at least the new tenants were making full use of it.

"Hey," Adrien said, moving towards Marinette and taking a seat by her. Other students, faces both familiar and unknown, were standing around, groups of friends laughing on a summer night they weren't sure they'd remember the next morning. The ground was hard beneath him, the crispness of the summer night firming the softness which had been left behind by spring. "You okay?"

Marinette had one leg stretched out on the grass, the other curled upwards so she could rest her head on one knee. Her eyes whipped to look at Adrien for a second before returning to the small flames which twisted upwards into the night.

"Mmmhmm," Marinette drawled, pulling up clumps of grass by her side and sprinkling them down again like confetti.

Adrien watched as she repeated the action over and over again, twining her fingers through the thin strands and plucking them with the clumsy grace of someone consumed by their thoughts.

"Are you sure?" Adrien asked, determined to begin _some_ kind of conversation with his usually talkative friend. Marinette stretched out her other leg, leaning back on her hands and turning to look at Adrien, a half-grin on her lips.

"I'm _fine_ , Adrien. Cider just gets to me," Marinette said, holding the bottle up so it was in Adrien's line of vision. "I needed a breather. No big deal."

The falseness of Marinette's smile, too wide, too desperate to be believed, undermined the joviality in her words. When her hand moved back to the grass, her fingers clenching around the flakes of green, Adrien gently placed his own hand on hers.

"Hey, Marinette?"

At the touch of his hand, Marinette's eyes widened. Her palm flipped under his, fingertips trailing softly across the top of Adrien's pinky finger before she withdrew her hand.

"Are… are you sad he's gone?" Adrien asked hesitantly as Marinette drew her knees up once more, knowing that he didn't need to specify who he was talking about; he wasn't sure _why_ he cared if Marinette missed his masked self, but he did. He really, really did.

Marinette nodded in response, the smile falling away in a heartbeat as she placed her bottle to her lips.

"Yeah," she said with the blunt honesty of a drunken student, putting the bottle beside her, balancing it precariously on the grass. "I am."

Adrien blinked at Marinette's straightforward answer, somewhat surprised by the revelation that Chat Noir's absence had been noted by more than just Ladybug.

It had been a weird night.

"Well hey, at least Ladybug's still around, right?" Adrien said, leaning over to bump his shoulder against hers playfully. "As long as she's here, who needs Chat Noir? He was pretty useless anyway, she's probably better off now he's gone!"

He was only semi-joking; Adrien was sure Ladybug had noticed he'd disappeared, but he'd always known she could keep Paris safe without him; there were other Miraculous holders, after all – Chat Noir had only been a small part of the team, even if he was one of the original members of Team Miraculous.

He was shocked, however, when Marinette turned to him with a fierce glare etched on her face.

"That's not true!" she said, angerand determination lacing her words. "Ladybug _needed_ him, they balanced each other! Yin and yang, you know? But then he left, and she was all… all… unbalanced!"

Adrien was taken aback by the sheer force behind Marinette's words, raw conviction which tensed her body as she met Adrien's gaze fiercely. There was a pause, and Marinette seemed to shrink, wrapping her arms around her legs as she placed her chin on top of her left knee.

"I just… I don't know," Marinette said weakly as she stared at the fire in front of her. "I can't get my head around how someone can leave without saying goodbye. Especially when he was supposed to care about her so much. It doesn't make sense to me." Marinette turned to face Adrien, and for the first time he saw a desperation, a need in her eyes for some sort of explanation. "How can someone _do_ that?"

Adrien shrugged, trying to look sympathetic. He wasn't sure _why_ Marinette seemed to need such reassurance; all he knew was that she looked so intrinsically hurt, so wounded by Chat Noir's unexplained disappearance, that he couldn't help but try and explain it to her.

"Sometimes… sometimes it's hard to tell the people you love goodbye," Adrien said, his words gentle as he rested his palms on the grass behind him, leaning back so he was looking at the smoke which curled and disappeared into the inky sky. "I guess Chat Noir couldn't bring himself to do it."

Marinette hummed in what Adrien assumed was begrudging agreement, her eyes not leaving the fire which lit up the garden, its flaming tendrils twisting through the air in an amber dance.

"Was it hard for you? Leaving, I mean?" Marinette didn't look at Adrien as she spoke, a quaver in her voice

"Yeah. Yeah, it was," Adrien said, the words quiet as he remembered how tightly Nino had hugged him before he left, how fiercely Alya had blinked back tears, looking almost angry as she waved goodbye when the car began to drive to the airport.

Adrien remembered Marinette burying her face into his neck as he hugged her goodbye, her hold on him tightening for a second when the Gorilla tapped Adrien's arm to let him know it was time to leave. When he looked out of the rear window of the limo, Adrien's friends had unfurled a banner with the words " _We miss you!"_ written in Marinette's elegant cursive.

It was a bittersweet memory, saying goodbye to his closest friends, one which made Adrien want to smile and cry simultaneously. He settled for downing the last of his drink, placing the cup down on the ground next to him once the last drops had slipped down his throat.

"It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," he continued, the words thick with honesty. Adrien looked over at Marinette, who had turned her head so she could see him. Unwrapping her arms from around her knees, Marinette clumsily scooted closer to Adrien. Her hand knocked the bottle she'd put down, spilling the remnants of her drink into the dry ground. When she was close enough, Marinette slid her arm through Adrien's, a gesture of comfort.

Her shoulder was warm against Adrien's arm, but despite the heat ebbing from the fire, it wasn't unpleasant; Marinette's warmth was soothing, a reassurance to Adrien that he was back now – he was in Paris, his friends were here, he wasn't _lonely_ anymore.

"Adrien?" Marinette asked again, causing the boy in question to face her, one eyebrow raised.

"Hmm?"

Marinette's head tilted sideways, moving to rest on Adrien's shoulder as a small smile grew on her face.

"I'm glad you came back," she said, eyes closing as she leaned against him. "I missed you."

Almost instinctively, Adrien removed his arm which was entwined with her, wrapping it around Marinette's shoulders instead. Adrien smiled softly, and, in a moment of unprecedented boldness, pressed a kiss on the top of Marinette's headbefore turning to gaze at the fire burning in front of them.

"I missed you, too."


	3. the desperately needed movie night

The knock on Marinette's door wasn't entirely unexpected. In fact, the gentle rapping on the painted wood of the door actually came later than she anticipated; but, nonetheless, Marinette knew exactly who would be on the other side when she tugged the handle down to swing it open.

"You lasted until ten thirty," Marinette said with a grin as she looked at Adrien's mildly traumatised expression. "I'm impressed."

The look on Adrien's face was haunted as she leant against the doorframe, and one Marinette herself had experienced on far too many occasions. He held up a blanket and pillow, blinking desperately at her.

"Please," Adrien whimpered, "can I-"

"Of course," Marinette said, cutting him off. "You don't even have to ask." She stood up, gesturing into the little living room of the flat as she moved to the side.

With a grateful smile, Adrien walked inside, and Marinette bit back a giggle as she saw he'd packed an overnight bag, which was slung over his shoulder.

"So, how loud were they being?" Marinette asked, shutting the door behind her carefully so as not to slam it. Adrien had already thrown his blanket over the sofa, and was propping the pillow by one of the armrests. When he looked over at her, Marinette knew Adrien had heard things nobody should suffer through.

"The thing is, I think they were trying to be _quiet_ ," Adrien replied as he straightened up, causing Marinette to clap a hand over her mouth.

"Oh God. You poor thing."

"They're not good at being quiet." Adrien's stare was empty when he spoke, the words coming out nearly as a whisper. "It just makes them more… enthusiastic…"

"I know," Marinette said, walking over to rest a comforting hand on Adrien's shoulder. "I know."

They stood there for a moment, Marinette rubbing Adrien's shoulder as he tried to block the sounds coming from Nino's bedroom from his mind.

"Alya… Alya doesn't _do_ quiet," Marinette said feebly. "You should hear her trying to whisper."

"I think I did, about ten minutes ago."

"… I'm so sorry."

"Does she know what whispering even means?" Adrien asked, his eyes wide. Marinette shook her head.

"No. No, I don't think she does." Marinette let out a sigh, moving to Adrien's side and slinging her arm over his shoulders, standing on her tiptoes to reach. "But hey, you know what 'Alya and Nino Night' means!" she said, her voice genuinely enthusiastic. Adrien looked down at her – Marinette had never quite had her growth spurt, so Adrien was constantly craning his neck to meet her eyes – and gave her the first smile of the evening.

"Crappy movie night?" Adrien said, his words hopeful.

"Crappy movie night!" The words were accompanied with a firm nod and a wink before Marinette stepped away from Adrien. "I'm already in pyjamas, after all." She gestured to the checkered shorts and over-large shirt she was wearing before striking a pose, causing Adrien to let out a chuckle.

"Plus," she continued, dropping her hands to her hips and nodding to the kitchen, "I've got some cookies from my dad and some popcorn in the kitchen, so snacks are accounted for. What do you feel like watching?"

Adrien shrugged the satchel off his shoulder, pulling the zip open to show Marinette the assortment of DVDs he'd stuffed in there before hastily leaving his room.

"I have a few suggestions," he said with a grin, placing the bag next to the tiny coffee table by the sofa. A silver laptop was whirring softly on the table, and Marinette pressed the button to open the DVD slot before she began to rifle through the options, rolling her eyes as she saw the large number Adrien had brought with him.

"You certainly came prepared," she stated with a grin. The stack of DVDs climbed ever higher as Marinette contemplated their options. "How did you even fit all of these in here?"

"I played a lot of Tetris as a kid," Adrien replied. "Home-schooled - not a lot of friends, remember?"

"Please, Adrien, you'd have played Tetris anyway."

"… True. But still, it's a talent."

Marinette laughed as she zipped the bag closed, gently putting it on the floor and gesturing to the pile of films.

"Okay, I've narrowed it down. Now you pick while I go get food," she said, walking towards the small kitchenette before Adrien could protest.

"And you say _I'm_ prepared," Adrien called out, grabbing the DVD at the top of the pile and opening the case with a loud _crack_. "Food and an up-and-running laptop? Why, you might think you were expecting someone, Mari."

He carefully deposited the disc into the waiting DVD slot, and pushed it closed. The screen on the laptop flickered black as the whirring increased in volume, and while it reacted to the disc Adrien moved the table closer to the sofa before taking a seat. After a few seconds of stuttering, the video player popped up on the screen, and Adrien leant over to expand the box so that it encompassed the entire screen.

"Well, as soon as Alya said she was going to see Nino, I kind of assumed you'd turn up eventually," Marinette said drily, walking back into the room with a plate of cookies in one hand and a bowl of popcorn in the other. "And don't worry, I made sure to get sweet popcorn this time."

Adrien gave a little shudder. "I still can't believe you like salted popcorn. _Salted_."

"Hey! I'll have you know that salted is delicious, Mr Sweet Tooth!"

"It's _salted._ "

Marinette thrust the popcorn at Adrien as she rolled her eyes, readjusting the plate of cookies so they were better balanced when he took the bowl. She walked to the wall and flicked off the lights before sitting down next to him. The sofa was just large enough so she could curl up against the pillow on the armrest, cradling the plate of baked goods in her arms.

Marinette's cream slippers brushed against Adrien's thigh, and she looked over at him as he was leaning over to press the play icon.

"Sorry, do you mind if I..?" she asked, nodding to her feet. Adrien leaned back into the sofa, balancing the popcorn with one arm, and followed Marinette's gaze. His eyes flicked up to meet hers, and after a second, Adrien shook his head.

"Nah, it's fine, go ahead. But I demand a cookie as payment," he said solemnly, his grin defying the attempted seriousness of his words. Marinette swivelled her torso slightly so she was facing him, and carefully moved the cookies towards him, the plate tentatively resting on her palm.

Adrien grabbed one, paused, then took another from the pile with a wink at Marinette.

The opening titles of the movie began to roll, and a perky pop song blasted out of the laptop's speakers. Both Adrien and Marinette turned at the sound, and Marinette took the opportunity to stretch out her legs so they were resting over Adrien's, placing the plate of cookies on her stomach. His eyes shot downwards, surprised at the level of comfort Marinette was displaying with him; he had nothing against it (although he was glad that her feet had moved to the other side of him, rather than resting on his lap), but Adrien hadn't expected the warm intimacy of such a simple act.

He wasn't sure how to respond, so he rested the popcorn bowl on her calves.

"Sorry," Marinette said across the fading notes of the opening song, "I'm super tired, I've been pulling late nights in the library for the past week, designing new pieces for an assignment. Is this okay?"

Adrien patted one of her knees, turning to look at her with a soft smile.

"Yeah, it's fine." He paused, a tiny frown forming on his brow. "But if you're tired, I can always go. I don't want to keep you-"

"No, no," Marinette interrupted, waving one hand in the air. "Like I'd send you back to your place. You made the mistake of leaving, Adrien. If you go back, they'll be even _louder._ "

Adrien visibly paled.

"Honestly, it's fine," Marinette smiled. "Just don't expect riveting conversation from me. Besides, it's been ages since we hung out!"

Adrien counted back before giving his head a shake. "We hung out about three days ago, Mari."

"Yeah, which is ages!"

The chuckle Adrien let out was filled with pure affection for the girl lying across the sofa. He nodded slowly, a grin climbing up his lips. "You're right," he said. "It is."

Marinette reached to the plate which was balancing on her stomach, and grabbed a cookie. She took a bite, humming contentedly as the pair of them began to watch the film on the small screen.

"You know, I only saw this for the first time last year," Adrien stated as the lead actor strolled down an empty high school corridor. The actor was at least thirty, but that didn't stop him from displaying the full spectrum of teenage angst his character was meant to be experiencing.

"For real?" Marinette replied, pushing herself up and unashamedly taking another cookie. "It's been out for a decade."

Adrien had shoved a handful of popcorn into his mouth, so his response was a shake of his head as he tried not to choke. His cheeks had puffed out slightly to cope with the amount of popcorn, and Marinette laughed when his face deflated as he swallowed.

"That was beautiful, Adrien. No wonder you're the model of the decade," she giggled. Adrien poked her thigh, shooting her a mock-glare.

"Shhhh, I'm trying to watch the film," he said, placing a finger to his lips and winking.

"But you started it!"

"Shhh, film."

Marinette tutted, placing her head back on the pillow. She held back a yawn, the thick breath pressing against her throat as Marinette blinked rapidly, pushing away the wave of exhaustion which had suddenly crested within her.

Adrien kept speaking, commenting on plotholes and little facts about the film – "I met the girl who plays her. She _hated_ her co-star, apparently he was a real ass on set" – to which Marinette would respond. But after a while, Marinette's eyelids began to droop; she was warm, she was comfy, and _god_ , she was tired…

An hour in, Adrien realised that Marinette had stopped responding to his infrequent comments. He looked to his left to see Marinette quite clearly asleep, one arm flung over the top of the sofa whilst the other had dropped over the edge. The plate off cookies rose and fell on her stomach with every deep breath she took, inching slowly towards her hip. With the graceful reflexes Adrien had gained from both fencing and his time as Chat Noir, Adrien carefully scooped up the plate without disturbing his slumbering friend or knocking over the bowl of popcorn in his hand.

Realising that he was now limited in where he could put the plate, Adrien lowered it to the floor as far as he could without jostling Marinette, and dropped it. The plate barely made a sound as it hit the floor, and only one cookie landed on the carpet, much to Adrien's relief. He looked back at Marinette, whose hand had slipped from the back of the sofa to lie under the pillow.

Adrien raised an eyebrow at the position. It looked incredibly uncomfortable. But he could see the faded tints of purple under her eyes, bags from the last week of work. Adrien let out a breath, turning back to face the film as he considered his choices.

On the one hand, he could leave Marinette to rest, go back to his room, and just put his headphones in when he went to bed to block out his friends. Who needed sleep anyway?

Well, apart from Marinette.

His other option was to wait until the end of the film and wake Marinette up so he could take her place on the sofa.

Neither one was particularly appealing; whilst going back to his room would surely be a traumatising experience, waking Marinette up was something only the bravest person would do. Marinette, once asleep, was a bit like a wasp – not an issue if you left her to it, but if you disturbed her you'd better run away fast.

Adrien thought for a moment, and then decided he could figure it out once the film had ended. It couldn't last that much longer, could it?

Ten minutes turned into twenty, and somehow the film was still playing. It wasn't as good as Adrien remembered, and a glance at his watch told him that midnight was fast approaching. Somehow the two main characters who were _clearly_ in love with each other kept facing obstacles to keep them apart. An hour and a half in, they still weren't together, and Adrien had finished his popcorn, so he had nothing to do but watch as the film dragged on.

It was exhausting.

Adrien could feel his eyes getting heavy, a sure sign that sleep was approaching. But he was determined to make it through to the end of the film; whether he stayed or left, he wanted to pack the film away so that Marinette didn't have to deal with it in the morning. She had let him crash at hers, Adrien wasn't going to make her do the clearing up.

His good intentions, however, faded away as after a little while longer Adrien succumbed to the call of sleep. Every second, the weight of his eyelids seemed to increase until he couldn't keep them open; surely he could just _listen_ to the film for a bit, and then when it ended he could wake himself up, Adrien thought to himself.

The last thing he was conscious of was a loud declaration of love with a sweeping ballad playing underneath it coming from the screen.

He didn't notice the popcorn bowl fall off him, nor Marinette subconsciously adjusting to the pressure of his body gently falling alongside her on the sofa. Neither of them saw the film end, and eventually the laptop, the title screen playing on loop, died from battery exhaustion, bathing the room in darkness.

* * *

When Alya walked through the door the next morning, not early enough to worry about waking her housemate, she was surprised to see her two friends entwined as they lay on the sofa. Adrien had somehow managed to push himself up so that his head was on the very top of the sofa, the pillow squashed between his neck and the armrest. Marinette, meanwhile, had curled herself around Adrien, snuggling into him like a koala bear whilst Adrien's arms were locked around her to prevent her falling off the edge of the sofa.

Alya grinned, and pulled out her phone, pressing the camera icon as she moved to get a better angle.

She was _never_ going to let them forget this.


	4. the halloween costume revelation

AN: After much googling, I learned that although Halloween isn't really celebrated in France, it's becoming more popular for various reasons. So although trick or treating isn't common there, it's not unheard of so I kind of rolled with this. I just wanted the gang in costumes tbh. Also, the voice actress for Marinette in the English dub also voices Rei Hino in Sailor Moon. It'll make sense, trust me.

* * *

"Boys! Hurry up, we're going to be late for trick or treating!"

Alya knocked firmly on the door to Adrien and Nino's dorm, one hand on her hip as she looked over her shoulder at Marinette. The other girl simply shrugged, opening her scarlet handbag as she gave Alya a sympathetic smile.

"I mean, we still have time," Marinette said, looking at the phone she'd pulled from her bag. "Your sisters aren't expecting us for another forty-five minutes…"

"True, but we're walking in heels. We need the extra time to get there," Alya noted. She knocked on the door again. "Nino! Adrien! Come on, even Marinette is here on time!"

"Hey!" Marinette exclaimed.

"Am I wrong?"

"… No."

Alya smiled, moving away from the door to quickly hug her friend. "Marinette, I adore you, but you aren't exactly the best at being on time. Although right now the boys are threatening to steal your title as Tardiness Queen."

Marinette smirked. "Will they have to share the crown, or do they get one each?" she laughed.

"Oh, they have to share."

The movement of the door handle stopped the girls' conversation, and both of their mouths dropped as Nino stepped out, fully decked out in 18th-century clothes. The white pants and long blue jacket didn't seem too over the top, but he'd added a ruffled shirt for full effect. It was impressive, to say the least.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies- hooooly hell, those are short skirts. Good _Lord,_ you two look good!" Nino sputtered as he took one glance at the costumed girls at his door, blinking rapidly.

"Aren't they great?" Alya grinned at his reaction, twirling. "Marinette made them! My sisters wanted to be the Sailor Senshi – there's enough of us to make up the majority of them – so Marinette and I are Sailor Mars-" Marinette placed her hands on her hips and raised her chin, smirking in a way eerily similar to the cartoon guardian of Mars "-and Sailor Venus!" Alya gave her boyfriend a peace sign, tossing her hair back and winking.

Nino nodded slowly, taking in the bright skirts and golden tiaras that adorned Alya and Marinette.

"Was there a reason you two got those characters? 'Cause Mari doesn't exactly remind me of Sailor Mars, to be honest."

"Alya's sisters chose their favourites, and of the remaining Sailor moon characters, these were the ones we liked best," Marinette explained.

"Besides, yellow and orange look great on me, and we all know red is Marinette's colour!" Alya added. "Plus, Mari does the _best_ Sailor Mars impressions."

Nino nodded slowly.

"Well, Adrien is about to cry from happiness. Why are all the people I love such nerds?" Nino sighed, before giving Marinette a grin to show that he was joking. Alya rolled her eyes, stepping towards Nino to wrap her arms around his shoulders.

"It's because you're one of us, babe, like it or not. Otherwise you wouldn't have dressed as Hamilton."

"Hey, Hamilton is _cool_ now. The music is a revelation, and-"

"Please don't start rapping at my siblings later."

"… Fine."

"Anyway," Marinette chimed in, interrupting the duo as Alya gave a pouting Nino a peck on the cheek in thanks, "it's good to see that we went all out for Halloween! You guys excited?"

They both nodded, Nino's arm sliding around Alya's waist as she turned to face Marinette.

"Definitely!" Nino exclaimed. "Tonight will be fun – trick or treating, then a party? Heaven!"

Alya bumped her hip against Nino's, smiling warmly. "You're going to be on a sugar rush in about an hour, aren't you?"

"Almost definitely."

Marinette's eyes flicked from her two friends to the empty doorway, a small crease forming on her forehead as she frowned slightly.

"Is Adrien okay?" she ased, gesturing to the empty room. "He's taking a while."

Nino's hand moved to the back of his neck as he bit back a laugh. "He's fine. He's just, uh, putting the final touches on his costume." Nino grinned. "You think we went all out? Wait until you see _his_ outfit."

Alya's eyes widened. "It's child-friendly, right?"

"It's Adrien, of course it's child friendly," Nino scoffed. "Your oldest sister is going to _love_ it." His eyes snapped to Alya's skirt, a look of concern growing on his face. "Actually, speaking of child friendly – you said your sisters were also going as sailor senshi…?"

"Relax, Nino. Their skirts are a lot longer, over the knees," Marinette assured him. "I just did ours to the thigh so that we could use them for other costume parties if we wanted to. Besides," Marinette lifted her skirt up the tiniest amount to reveal the bright red shorts she wore, "everyone has a pair of these underneath - in case of wind."

Alya gave her friend a thumbs up. "She thinks of everything," Alya said, leaning against Nino as she folded her arms.

"Sorry I'm late, guys!" Adrien's voice echoed through the room, causing three heads to turn to the doorway. "I'm nearly – yep, I'm done!"

The first thing they all saw was the jumpsuit. Bright orange, it practically blinded them with its garish colour. Marinette was the first to look away, her eyes trailing up to see the whiskers drawn on Adrien's face, and the dark blue headband with a silver band attached to it.

A few long seconds passed before anyone could speak.

"I mean, it's certainly child-friendly," Alya said, blinking. "But my sister won't leave your side for the entire night, Adrien, I'm warning you now. She _loves_ Naruto."

Adrien breathed a sigh of relief as he walked towards his friends. "I'm so glad you know who I'm meant to be, I was worried that it was too vague."

Nino patted him on the shoulder when Adrien reached him.

"Adrien, everyone will know who you are. Believe it."

Everyone looked at Nino with disappointment in their eyes.

"What?" he protested. "He's dressed as Naruto, you all knew that was coming!"

"Anyway," Adrien said, "you all look amazing! I love the sailor senshi costumes – although I'd never have put you as Mars, Mari."

"I get that a lot," she replied with a grin. "You look awesome, where did you get the costume?"

A blush appeared under the hand-drawn whiskers on Adrien's face. "I might have called in a favour with a costume designer my dad works with. I may not be allowed to let anyone know that they made it, on pain of death."

Marinette laughed. "Your secret is safe with us."

"I wish I'd known there was a Sailor Moon theme though, I would have come as Tuxedo Mask!" Adrien said, a note of regret lingering in his voce. Alya shook her head.

"No, this is better. Otherwise you'd have all of the younger Cesaire sisters following you like ducklings. At least this way only one of my sisters will be obsessed with you. "Alya pinched the bridge of her nose. "Besides, I can only deal with one person being obsessed with Adrien Agreste at a time."

"Huh?"

Alya's eyes widened as she realised what she'd said. "What? Nothing. Now, are we going, or are my sisters taking themselves trick or treating?"

Alya grabbed Nino's hand and started pulling him towards the end of the corridor where the exit was. Marinette, eyes wide, glanced over at a bemused Adrien, who shrugged when she met his gaze.

"I think I misheard something," he said, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh well! Shall we follow them?"

Marinette nodded, taking a step back so Adrien could walk through the doorway and lock it behind him. As he shoved his keys into one of the many pockets of his jumpsuit, his eyes skidded over Marinette's costume.

"You know, I've met people who would pay through their nose for cosplay that good. Where did you get it?" he asked, beginning to move in the direction Nino and Alya had walked in. Marinette's cheeks flushed a soft pink, and she gave him a little smile of pride. Something clicked in Adrien's mind, and his mouth dropped open. "You _made_ it? Marinette, you never cease to amaze me."

"Thanks," she said, straightening her shoulders as her smile grew. She looked over at Adrien, and raised one eyebrow.

"So, Tuxedo mask, huh?"

Adrien rolled his eyes. "What? I thought he was cool, okay?"

"It's okay – so did I," Marinette said, nudging Adrien with her elbow. "Just don't tell Alya, she thinks he's useless."

"Well, he was, but still. He was a cool superhero." Adrien paused. "Kind of made me want to be one, you know?"

Marinette gestured to her outfit. "Yeah, I know what you mean," she laughed. Her bright smile faded a little though, and Adrien frowned as Marinette looked down at the ground before glancing back up at him. "Although, I've got to say, being a superhero doesn't seem that fun. Lots of pain involved. You lose people." Her eyes widened, and she let out a false laugh. "I mean, look at Tuxedo Mask! He gets kidnapped a lot. And dies. A lot. A concerning amount, really."

"Very true," Adrien conceded. "But he always came back."

Marinette nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess he did." She shook her head, batting away whatever thoughts had wiped the smile off her face.

Adrien nudged her, mimicking Marinette's action from moments before. Her head snapped around to look at him, and he gestured to the corridor behind them, grinning. "So me quickly changing into a tuxedo for tonight-"

"Would be a bad idea." Marinette paused. "Well, actually it would be a great idea, but Alya may kill you, and all her sisters would propose to you on the spot."

"… I think I'll stick to Naruto."

"Wise move."

They were rapidly approaching the exit to the building, where Alya and Nino were waiting. Once the couple saw Adrien and Marinette approaching, Alya swung the door open and held it for them.

"Guys, hurry up!" Alya called to them. "Mama just texted saying that the little devils have started eating sweets already, and I'm not dealing with a bunch of sugar crazed sailor senshi!"

"Okay, okay!" Marinette laughed at the look of pure distress on her friend's face. "Don't worry – between Sailor Mars, Sailor Venus, Hamilton, and Naruto, I think we can deal with your sisters!" Marinette blinked. "There's a sentence I never thought I'd say."

Adrien patted her on the shoulder.

"That's Halloween for you."


End file.
